Automatic pin-boy.



P. N. LAWRENCE.

AUTOMATIC PIN BOY. A'PPLIOATION nun JAN.19,1918.

Patented June 10, 1913.

2 GREENE-SHEET 1.

Qvitucano F. N. LAWRENCE.

AUTOMATIC PIN BOY.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 19, 1912.

Patented June 10, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WA M/ W INVENTOR WITNESSES STTES PATENT @FFTQE.

AUTOMATIC PIN-BOY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 19, 1912.

Patented June 10, 1913.

Serial No. 672,077.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED NEWTON LAW- RENCE, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Brimfiold, in the county of Hampden and State ofMassachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in AutomaticPin-Boys, of which the following is a speci fication.

This inventionrelates to means for erecting ten-pins, and has for itsobject to provide a mechanical device operable by. a bowler or otherperson adjacent the bowling line to erect a set of pins in their properplaces and at the same time return any balls that may have beenpreviously projected along the alley.

An important object is to provide a mechanism of simple and durableconstruction adapted to be installed at a low cost.

Another object is to provide a novel and eili'cient construction forelevating a ball and. projecting it along the usual run-way provided inbowling alleys for conducting balls to a point convenient to the hand ofthe bowler.

A further object is to provide an efiicient connection with the pinstogether with'a cooperating device reducing the friction between thesides of the spot openings and flexible members attached to the bottomsof respective pins.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the followingdescription and the drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a bowling alley equipped with myinvention, Fig. 2 is a fragmentary section thereof at the rear end. Fig.3 is a detail of a pin and the connection therewith.

There is illustrated a bowling alley 10 which may be of any suitableconstruction ordinarily followed. Adjacent the rear end of the floor 11a chamber 12 is formed, communicating with which there are spot passages13 centrally of the respective spots, these openings having rabbetstherearound at their upper parts in which are set respective annuli 1d,each of which carries removably a cage 15 having closely spaced balls 16projecting therefrom and into the opening 13 for slidable engagementthereagainst of a chain 17 attached at its upper end concentrically tothe bottom of the pin 19, a suitable recess 18 is formed in thebottom'of the pin wherein the attaching means may be accommodatedwithout disturbing the footing of the pin. The annuli 14 are preferablyof metal and slightly greater in diameter than the bases of the pins,whereby in the setting-up operation to be described wear of the floorwill be minimized.

A horizontal triangular anchor plate 20 is mounted in the chamber 12 forvertical movement, being adapted to lie closely adjacent the floor 11 attimes, and carrying guide standards 21. at each corner engagingrespective guideways 22 to maintain the plate in horizontal position.The chains 17 are all attached to the anchor plate beneath therespective spot openings 13, the chains having a suitable amount ofslack therein when the pins are on the spots and the anchor plate is atthe upper limit of its movement to allow the Ipins to be upset readilyand permit suitab e movement of the pins outwardly from the spots moreor less, as at a in Fig. 1. At the side of the floor 11 there is shownthe usual run-way or race 23 outwardly of which adjacent the bowlingline there is'shown a suitable lever 2 L pivoted upon the support of therace 23 and connected to a link rod 25 extending rearwardly into thechamber 12. Mounted revolubly in the chamber transversely of the alleythere is a shaft 26, one end being disposed adjacent the medial line ofthe bowling floor and having an arm 27 projected therefromlongitudinally of the alley, the outer end of this arm falling beneaththe central spot and pivotally connected to the anchor plate by means ofa pintle 28 carried by a fork 29 and engaged in a suitable slot 30extending longitudinally of the arm. Attached to the shaft 26 adjacentits outer end beneath the race 23, there is a bell crank 31 having adownwardly extending arm connected to the link 25 and a rearwardlyextending arm 27 having a trunnion bolt 32 engaged slidably in a slot 33in one end of a lever 34 pivoted at the rear side of the chamber 12 andhaving a lift arm 35 projected outwardly and rearwardly of the chamberadjacent the back stop 36 extending across the rear end of the alley andbeyond the adjacent end of the race 23.

It will be noted that the floor 37 of the ball-pit 38 is inclinedupwardly from the side adjacent the ball race and the backstop extendsobliquely forwardly from a point rearwardly of the outer end of the arm35. The backstop may be swung upon pivots 39 disposed close to the edgeof the floor 37,.

to close access to the shaft when the lift is at its upper limitof'movement, and to hold the device properly in the shaft duringoperationl The board has secured thereto a rigid horizontal shaft ortrunnion 44 projecting inwardly therefrom and connected by means of alink 45 to the extremity of the lever arm 35. A cradle 46 is pivotedupon the trunnion 44 for rocking movement as will be described, thecradle being shaped to form a continuation of the race 23 when at' theupper limit of its movement, its forward edge,being adapted to abutsnugly against the rear end of the race 23. At the lower limit of itsmovement it falls just below the adjacent edge of the floor 37.

After any or all of the ten-pins have been upset operation of the lever24 to draw upon the link 25 will cause depression of the anchor plate20, the chains 17 drawing the pins to their places and erecting them aswill be readily understood, the arm 27' being at the same timedepressed, which will raise the arm 35 of the lever 34, raising thecradle 42. By reason of the inclination of the floor 37 and thebackstop, any balls projected along the alley will have been deliveredupon the cradle. It will be noted that the shaft 40 is spaced rearwardlyof the rear edge of the bowling floor a short distance, and in order toprevent balls from hanging forwardly of the shaft 40 the adjacent gutteris extended rearwardly to the forward side of the shaft and cut offdiagonally and a fending surface provided at 46 to guide the ballstowardthe shaft. The upper edge of the board 43 is inclined downwardlyfrom adjacent its central part toward the front, as at a, in Fig. 2 thecradle-normally resting upon the rear horizontal'portion b of this edge.Adjacent the upper end of the forward guide 41 there is a lug 47arranged to strike the cradle and tilt it until it rests upon theinclined forward upper edge of the board 43, when the cradle is moved toits upper limit, as dotted in Fig. 2, so that the movement of any ballsthereon will be properly initiated for delivery upon the ball race. Therear portion of the cradle may be weighted as at 0 in any suitable wayto in- The board 43, in addition to serving as a guide for the cradle inits Vertical movement, also acts as a gate preventing any balls fromfalling into the shaft 40 after the raising of the cradle.

The length of the connecting chains between the ten-pins and the anchorplate may be varied as may be found desirable, and other changes in theconstruction shown and described made within the scope of the claimshereto appended.

What is claimed is:

l. A device of the class described, comprising a bowling floor, spotpassages therethrough, ten-pins thereover, an anchor member verticallymovable beneath the floor, connections between the anchor member and thepins, a ball race-way above the floor, a transverse shaft beneath thefloor, connections between the shaft and anchor member. for verticalmovement of the anchor member upon rotation of the shaft, a bell-crankcarried by the shaft, an elevator member adjacent the rear end of theraceway and movable from below said floor to the raceway, connectionsbetween said bell-crank and the elevator, and operative connections withthe bell-crank for rotation of the shaft and movement of the elevator,for the purposes described.

2. In a device of the class described, a pin erecting device, anoperating mechanism therefor, a ball delivery device including a ballraceway, a pit floor rearwardly of the bowling floor and inclineddownwardly to- I I sure its return to normal loading position.

ward the raceway, an elevator guideway at r the rear end of the racewayan elevator member movable therein and comprising a gateboard, a cradledevice pivoted thereover for movement from a position below saidinclined floor into registry with the raceway at times, means to engageand incline the cradle toward the raceway when at the upper limit of itsmovement, means to return the cradle to initial position when in normalposition, and connections between the elevator and said operatingmechanism for raising of the elevator coincident with erection of pins,said gate board being arranged and adaptedto close access to the spaceheneath the elevator from the inclined floor throughout movement of the.elevator.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

KATHERINE A. Soomm', ERNEST E. HOBSON.

